Evidence of Life - By Barbara Taylor Sissel Page 0,109

set it on the table she indicated.

Turning to her, he said, “I noticed some porch boards were loose when I was sweeping.”

She made a face and said she knew. “I have a laundry list of chores to do around here.”

He grinned at her. “I’m pretty good with a hammer and I work cheap.”

The errant breeze loosened fine strands of hair from her chignon, and they fluttered over her face. She lifted her hand, but Dennis was there before her. She felt his fingertips graze her cheek, draw toward her ear and around it, slowly, so slowly, as if he were intent on not frightening her.

“I want to help you, Abby, to be here for you,” he said, and her mind wrapped around the safety that seemed inherent in his offer, his very presence, and she wanted to hold it; she wanted to lean into it, into him, but she wondered if she dared, if she could trust a man again.

She held his gaze, searching for the words to express what she was feeling, but it was impossible, and she gave her head a slight shake when she couldn’t find them.

But he seemed to know, to read her mind. He said he didn’t care how long it took. He said, “I just don’t want to lose you.”

Her heart rose, and she smiled, and when she flattened her palm against the center of his chest, he took it in his own.

* * * * *

Acknowledgments

I love books. Each one is a gift, and for me reading them is essential. So it is a dream come true that I have been given the means to pay the gift forward. And while I did author this book, the dream of sharing it with readers would never have come into being without the help of so many wonderful people. First among them are my critique partners who are generous listeners, tireless readers, and creative sounding boards, and who, each in their own right, are incredibly astute as editors and authors themselves. I wish every writer could find such a remarkable group. Thank you Midwives for all the Friday-night sessions and for always cheering me on: Colleen Thompson, Wanda Dionne, Joni Rodgers and TJ Bennett.

I owe such a debt of gratitude, too, to my sister, Susan Harper, and to my dear friend, Jo Merrill, who generously read the manuscript and helped me brainstorm multiple times, and who never lost enthusiasm. I am living proof that you can go a long while on such generous amounts of steadfast loyalty and constant reinforcement.

Thank you again to my brother, John Taylor, who has never once wavered in his faith that I could do this or most anything else. Sometimes his voice in my ear has been the spur and I’m so grateful for it. Also, I am deeply appreciative of my niece, Heather Wilson, who has this uncanny ability to know the exact right time I need a wake-up call and a dose of encouragement. Thank you to Christy Kliesing and her sweet certainty and belief in me, and thank you to both my sons, Michael and David, my big pillars of support, my teachers. They have never doubted I could do it and when it’s darkest, they always know how to make me laugh.

There will never be enough right words to say how grateful I am to my mentor and friend, Guida Jackson. The wise counsel, the support and the opportunities to learn and grow as a writer and editor that I have received from her have been invaluable. Her faith in me has given me the confidence and will to keep going. I’m so grateful, too, for her celebration of every small and large victory. She has generously nurtured and nourished so many of us fledgling authors and is herself a remarkable author and teacher.

On my own with my manuscript, I can touch the lives of a handful of people, but for an author to bring an actual book into being, to extend her reach beyond that initial closed circle, requires help from publishing professionals, not just any sort of professionals, either, but people who conceive a passion for your story, who see the potential and who are seized with a vision, who love the story as much as you do. I would like to convey my heartfelt thanks to the entire, incredible MIRA team, everyone who has helped to bring the book into being, from sales and marketing to art and publicity. I am especially grateful